I Mean To Shine [Record Store Day] (LP)
Linda Hoover
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SHIPS FREE in U.S. $26.98
User Reviews
Overall Rating 1 Submissions
JayWillingham
12/17/2022 San Diego Troubadour - featured story: https://sandiegotroubadour.com/linda-hoover-i-mean-to-shine/ If the waiting is indeed the hardest part, it is high time for introductions to be made all around of this stunning maven of musicality by the name of Linda Hoover, and the remarkable album she recorded in the spring/summer of 1970 titled I Mean to Shine. Five stellar Becker and Fagen songs dominate side one of I Mean to Shine, and it’s curious to consider why, out of all the songs they had in their arsenal, they choose these five. The album asserts itself immediately with a title track that sounds like it could have been written specifically with Hoover in mind. Proud, clear, bold, and determined, it feels like we’re being set up for something epic, where even the sky’s not the limit. Every performance on this album is marvelous in its own way, but “Roaring of the Lamb” has something transcendently special about it, particularly if you’re at all familiar with the stripped-down piano and vocal demo that exists from the pile of Brill Building recordings that Kenny Vance supervised. Between the dynamic string-and-horn arrangement that Becker and Fagen came up with, and the over-the-top, kick-ass vocal performance from Hoover, “Roaring of the Lamb” leaves me shaking my head in disbelief every time I hear it. This is an absolute tour de force by everyone involved. Talk about being pleasantly shocked into speechlessness; it’s magnifique and beguiling, to be sure! While there is a distinct difference between the two sides of I Mean to Shine, it all weaves together seamlessly as a whole, thanks to Becker and Fagen’s arrangements, the inspired performances by all the musicians, and Katz’s cohesive production. But what really holds it all together is Hoover’s pure and powerful vocalizing throughout all 11 songs on the album.
JayWillingham
12/17/2022 San Diego Troubadour - featured story: https://sandiegotroubadour.com/linda-hoover-i-mean-to-shine/ If the waiting is indeed the hardest part, it is high time for introductions to be made all around of this stunning maven of musicality by the name of Linda Hoover, and the remarkable album she recorded in the spring/summer of 1970 titled I Mean to Shine. Five stellar Becker and Fagen songs dominate side one of I Mean to Shine, and it’s curious to consider why, out of all the songs they had in their arsenal, they choose these five. The album asserts itself immediately with a title track that sounds like it could have been written specifically with Hoover in mind. Proud, clear, bold, and determined, it feels like we’re being set up for something epic, where even the sky’s not the limit. Every performance on this album is marvelous in its own way, but “Roaring of the Lamb” has something transcendently special about it, particularly if you’re at all familiar with the stripped-down piano and vocal demo that exists from the pile of Brill Building recordings that Kenny Vance supervised. Between the dynamic string-and-horn arrangement that Becker and Fagen came up with, and the over-the-top, kick-ass vocal performance from Hoover, “Roaring of the Lamb” leaves me shaking my head in disbelief every time I hear it. This is an absolute tour de force by everyone involved. Talk about being pleasantly shocked into speechlessness; it’s magnifique and beguiling, to be sure! While there is a distinct difference between the two sides of I Mean to Shine, it all weaves together seamlessly as a whole, thanks to Becker and Fagen’s arrangements, the inspired performances by all the musicians, and Katz’s cohesive production. But what really holds it all together is Hoover’s pure and powerful vocalizing throughout all 11 songs on the album.